Monster Hoodie Giveaway

I've been known to go overboard once in a great while. ahem.

Last February, I bought a bunch of hoodies, on sale for a terrific price. They would make terrific gifts, and maybe I could even sell a few!

I had to buy rubbermaid totes to house all the hoodies, and then I lost motivation.

All year long, I've been housing rubbermaid totes of hoodies that I don't want to deal with anymore. It's time for them to move.

So, here's the deal. I'm making them in to monsters as fast as I can. I'm giving away as many as I can to people that I know for their birthdays. To date, this has been about 20.

I still have 18 hoodies. Six are set aside for Christmas. That leaves 12.

Six are listed in my etsy shop (created for the sole purpose of getting rid of these hoodies that are consuming my basement). I'm working furiously to get more in there.

And one (or more), will be given away, right here, right now.

Here's the deal. Go to my etsy shop. Decide who you know that would like one of these. Then come back here leaving me a comment with the name and age of the person that would like one. I'll randomly generate a winning number and email you. (Oh, leave you email address too, blogger doesn't tell me those things).

Then, I'll make a hoodie for that person. You'll get to pick the size and the basic colors, if you wish (limited to the stock I have). Then I'll ship that hoodie to you, free.

Sound ok?

You have until Wednesday evening to enter -- it's a quick one because I want to get that hoodie made and shipped yet this week!

SewMamaSew has suggested that we keep these open a bit longer, to give everyone a chance to enter. I'll be closing this on Friday, December 5th instead of tonight. Thanks everyone!

Welcome Internet Cafe readers! Notice that htis contest is a short one -- it's over on the evening of Friday December 5th, so enter quickly!


For a 15% discount in my store, enter SewMamaSew when you buy!

Vote for me? Pretty please?

About a week ago, I entered a contest to win four free aprons from Apron Queen's Reviews. To enter, you had to do the chicken dance.

Bennet was a turkey for halloween, so it was just perfect to teach him the turkey dance. The winner will be decided this week by vote.

So, if you'd be so kind as to visit the Apron Queen's Reviews and vote (maybe even for me), I'd be so grateful.

I haven't decided yet whether I would get an apron for myself if I won -- I think I'm in love with the cafe toile. But I have two girls, and they have to girl cousins, and would that just be too cool to get the four little girls each their own apron?!? And look, they have a "Josephine" line (And an "Ava" line too!). It's like they were made with us in mind!

Gifts, philosophy, and Educational Games giveaway

I have no business writing about what to get our kids for Christmas. To be honest, we've never given our kids Christmas gifts. At first, it was because we couldn't afford anything, and knew that kids under three would never remember that they didn't get a Christmas gift from their parents those first few Christmases.

Then two years ago, we decided that we could afford to buy each of the kids a gift. We spent a couple of dollars on each kid for a really nice garage sale toy and wrapped them up.


After Christmas at Nani and Papa's on the 23rd, and Christmas at Grandma and Papa Dewey on the 24th, the kids were so overwhelmed with gifts that it seemed cruel to stack more new toys on them. So we left the gifts, wrapped, in a closet. They're still there.

We've realized that it's going to be the same every year. Our kids get so many gifts from Aunts, Uncles, Grandma's and Grandpas that anything Mom and Dad might buy is definitely not special.

This year we decided to change our focus. No gifts inside our nuclear family. Even Mom and Dad aren't going to get each other gifts. Instead, we're going to make a family project of giving to others. The kids are involved not only in getting gifts for some of the extended family (we draw names), but we as a family will make it a point each year to give either time or money to something we consider worthwhile.

We received a Christmas gift catalog from Samaritan's Purse a few weeks ago. In the center spread was gifts that kids can buy for other kids. Fresh milk to a kid in Africa for $4. This year, we'll do a project that involves the kids working (like raking the neighbor's lawn), and pay them enough money for them to buy something from that catalog for a kid in need. Mom and Dad will do the same - giving enough money that it actually hurts to a family in need.

I don't know how it will work for us. I don't know whether the philosophy that "Christmas is about giving, not getting" will actually come through. I don't know if I can handle not buying gifts for my husband and kids. But we're trying it.

By the way, my kids favorite toys, hands down, are dress-up clothes.

We all want to give good gifts to our kids, be they material or not. Since I'm in the Fall clean-up mode, I have some good gifts that I'd like to give to your kids.

So up today we have an educational game: National Geographic's Global Pursuit. It's trivial pursuit on a global level - complete with chips, lots of cards, a 12 sided die and a world map that you build during the game. It looks to be lots of fun for families with older kids.


Leave a comment if you'd like to win. I'll close comments on Saturday, November 8th, draw a winner and mail it out next week.

Drumroll Please!

Whew!

After a whole week of giving away stuff, I think I've learned a lesson.One at a time, please

In any case, it's been fun. And maybe I'll plan better for the next carnival and be able to do one every day again.

This morning, comments were closed, and Random.org so gladly generated numbers for me.

Kindergarten learning cards: number 14 was selected -- Jill!

Homemade wool hat: number 32 was selected - Hayley!

Home-mixed herbal tea with tea bags: number 25 was selected - creme!

Kindergarten homeschool books: 35 was selected - silverhartgirl!

And

The Mikasa Nativity: number 13 was selected -- windycity!


You've all been emailed. Thanks to everyone for stopping by and visiting my blog!

More giveaways coming soon, but not one everyday!

Handmade Gifts part 2: from Kids (to Adults)

Is it just me, or is it really hard to find things that kids can make and give to others that aren't pre-fabricated and expensive, or completely dorky?

I've had a hard time coming up with things that kids can make and give, anyway.

Just in case you have too, Here's a few things we've done in the past, and many of the ideas I hope to try in the future. They aren't all stellar, and none of these ideas are original with me. But I hope you like them anyway. I'm providing links to the projects where appropriate.

Oh, and another disclaimer, I tend to like gifts that are at least a little bit useful. So most of these aren't of the "refrigerator art" variety. Except the first one.

A year of kid art. Have one, or a few, of the kids make a new art project every month and mail it to the recipient. We did this for and aunt a few years back. She loved it, and still has all the ones we sent. Moreover, it provided a nice way to try new art projects without inviting a lot of clutter. It's also a nice way to let far away family know that you're thinking of them. I think we'll probably do it again.

Jewelry
Have you tried finger knitting? It's fun! Even the kids think it's fun! I can finger-knit a scarf in about an hour, but my oldest is only six, and definitely won't be sitting for an hour finger knitting (even if he was that fast). Instead, he's made a finger-knitted necklace and bracelet out of fancy yarn for his aunt. And that was really cute. Here's a good tutorial on 1-finger knitting, and another on 4-finger knitting (which is really better for kids over about 6 or 7).

Another easy popular craft around here is bangles. Cut a strip of a round plastic bottle (something big enough to go over your hand), and wrap fancy yarn around and around it. This is easy for kids above about 4, and really turns out cute! Kid's Craft Weekly has a good tutorial for these. And on the bracelets thread, my kids love to string beads pipe cleaners.


Stamping
Use apples, potatoes, carrots, sponges, cereal boxes folded into shapes, and whatever you can find as a stamp with acrylic paint to decorate hand towels, handkerchiefs, a tote bag, or just about anything. Might be kind of messy, but it's sure to be a big hit with both the kids and the lucky recipient, don't you think?

Nature gifts
Kids love to plant seeds, water them and watch them grow. It's a science lesson and a gift in one. Why have I not done this before? If I can find those seeds we never got around to planting last spring, we'll have a potted spice garden to give away. Thyme is supposed to be particularly easy, and sprouts quickly. We have some miniature basil just begging to be grown in a pot, and I'm wanting to try wheat grass too. Maybe we'll even decorate the pots with stickers or paint.

I also love these nature texture prints made from polymer clay. Or twig stars like these (I'm working on a tutorial for them now).

And maybe you'd like to consider some garden art.

Food
Don't forget the value of a good food gift. We often give away homemade jelly that the kids helped stir. Or give a Pie-in-a-jar, or a jar-mix for some favorite cookies. Or just make the cookies and give them away. Of mini-loaves of banana bread. These are school-lessons and gifts too -- all that measuring! Food is a great gift for men -- how could you go wrong?

Others
And one last one -- another great gift for a man is a stress-ball or hackey sack. The link I had for this has been deleted, but you basically take a balloon, use a funnel to fill it (without stretching the balloon much) with sand or flour or split peas or rice, whatever you have.... Then you tie the balloon and stuff the knot inside. Cut the neck off of a second balloon, and stuff the first one inside of this (if you used flour, don't cut the neck off, I hear it makes a very big mess). Then you repeat this -- cutting the neck off of a third and fourth balloon to make a rather strong ball. You can cut many holes in another balloon if you wish for decoration. Here's another way to make one.

No, wait, one more. You can re-cover a pillow to make just about anything. (Your kid could even draw a design on the fabric!).

Speaking of gifts for adults. I have one for you. It's a Mikasa ceramic Nativity. Brand new in the box. Keep it, or give it to someone without young kids who will destroy it :)

Just leave me a comment to enter. Contest ends November 1st, just like the others. Don't forget to tell me your email address in it!

Oh, and don't forget to read part 1 of this series: Handmade gifts for teenage boys.


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Generousity: My Frugal Secret

People often ask me "How do you do it?" When I tell them that we've lived quite well for six years now on a single part-time income. Yep, that's half of an income. We've always just had one of us working part time. For the first few years it was Chester, and right now it's me who works part time.

I have a slew of answers.

• "Well, God just provides miraculously for us" (which He does)
• "It's really not hard, but we are careful with our money"
• "I have a really great paying part time job"
• "We don't have a TV - it's easy to live cheaply when you're not viewing ads all day long"

All of these are true. But there's another property that I think is at the core of our living cheaply. And that is generosity. God has called us to give both to our church and to several missionaries. But in addition to that, we're always giving stuff away.

Actually, it's not so much giving stuff away, as it is funneling what God sends to us. A few months ago now, I took two garbage bags of toddler girl clothes to a family who has quadruplet 3-year-old girls that needed clothes. This is not an unusual occurrence around here. That particular week, I'd had three families give me hand-me-downs from their girls. I didn't need clothes for my girls, and told them so. But I was very grateful that they thought of me, and told them I'd be happy to find them a good home.

God has allowed this sort of thing to happen so many times that "funneling" has become part of our reputation. (This also courtesy of my Mother-in-Law, who gives away so much every year that it totals a higher value than their income). Families that have a need know they can ask me, and I'll probably come across what they need in short order. Families with stuff to get rid of know they can call me. I'll use some, and pass on some.

I'm always grateful for what I'm given - even if I can't use it, I know that these people thought of us for a reason, and there's probably someone I know that can use it.

A couple of days ago, a local home-schooler emailed to ask if I wanted her outgrown curriculum. Her youngest is now in second grade -- they simply don't need the preschool and kindergarten stuff anymore. I said "Of course! We had such a fun time with the videos you gave us last time!" (Which was true, even though we don't have a VCR and she knows it -- we gave them as prizes at a party, and it was really fun).



So tonight on our weekly date we went and picked up a bag and a box of her old home-school stuff. Most of it we really don't need (although the kids are completely thrilled at all the new coloring books!) Therefore, I'd like to pass some on to you as today's giveaway. Six books: Usborne's "Ready for Reading", Celebrate Readings!'s "Spelling and Phonics Practice books" levels 1 and 2 (which I think correspond to grades 1 and 2, they are above my kindergartener), McGraw-Hill's "My 1,2,3"s, Modern Curriculum Press's "My dictionary Workbook", and American Education Publishing's "The complete Book of Phonics ( for ages 4-8)". Thanks so much Leeza! Just leave a comment or subscribe (and leave me a comment telling me that you did) to be entered. (Two entries if you do both). Please leave your email address in the comment if you don't have a blogger blog. Blogger does not share your email address with me.

I'm so grateful that God provides for us this way - it's completely fun, and it makes a lot of things super cheap (I'll probably never buy my kids clothes).

I haven't made it all the way through what I was given tonight, so keep your eyes out for another giveaway of home-school stuff next week!

How to make your own medicine & another giveaway (now closed)

One thing I always dread about winter is the colds. It seems that no matter how healthy we start off, we'll be down at least two or three times in the course of the winter. Considering that we have four preschoolers, I guess that's not too bad. But I still really dread those times.

We have the first one right now -- a super nasty cold that hit everyone at once. On Saturday night, three (count-em) three kids had croup. By Monday, the other kid and Mom were sick too. Oh, joyful times.


So now that you're all scared off from reading my blog because of the potential germs, let me share with you some all-natural ways to deal with those nasty colds. My wonderful Mother-in-law deserves credit for all of these. She has thirteen kids, (I'm married to number two, the last is now ten years old), and over the years developed a lot of methods that worked for her kids. She passed them on to me, and now I'm passing them on to you.

Garlic oil is my best trick in the bag. Warm it up ever so slightly, then rub it under sore ears (right along the back of the jaw) to soothe a minor ear infection, (if your kids will let you, drip it in the ear to kill that infection quickly). Rub it on your chest and back for a cough, rub it on your feet for almost anything that ails you. It'll smell bad, but it feels so much better immediately.

To make garlic oil: Chop 3 or more cloves of garlic into small pieces -- I do about 1/8 inch sized pieces. Chopping is better than crushing because you want to be able to strain the pieces back out. In a glass jar or cup, add 1/4 cup or more olive oil. Cover and shake, Then let set for two days, shaking every time you think of it (a few times a day). After two days, strain off the garlic and put it in a clean bottle or jar. If you keep it in a cool cupboard, it'll last about a year. I usually end up running out in a few months and making more.

To use it, I usually just put the whole bottle in the microwave for 12 seconds or so. But you can also drip a bit out on to your hands and rub them together to warm it.


EPY Tea:
This is the best for keeping kids' immune systems healthy and strong. But you're not used to loose teas, it can take a bit of effort. To make the tea, combine 1 Tbsp. Elderflowers (E), 2 Tbsp Peppermint leaves (P) and 1 Tbsp. Yarrow (Y). You can buy each of these loose at a good health food store. I make up bigger batches (with more like 1/4 cup E and Y and 1/2 cup P). To make the tea, add 1 Tbsp. of the mix to a cup of boiling water. Cover the cup with a towel to steep for 5 minutes, then strain off the herbs. You can drink it hot or refrigerate it. My kids require it to be diluted before they'll drink it. This is a great wintertime all-purpose drink, and it really does make a difference in congestion. EPY ice cubes are great in water to make a weak tea in either the winter or the summer.

Removing Germs from the air:
Every winter, my mother in law makes up a spray bottle of water with 10 drops of tea tree oil, and sprays all the rooms in her house (just spraying it in to the air). The moisture attaches to germs, and brings them to the floor, and the tea tree oil kills them. Or so she says. I use it too, and figure it can't do any harm.

Herbal tinctures
Finally, herbal tinctures are really what makes natural medicine work. Just like with "normal" medicine, you have to be careful not to overdose. But when used rightly, they are much more effective than the medicines you get from the pharmacy.

To learn how to make your own herbal tinctures, and to get my secret favorite herbal mixtures, you'll have to keep reading! I'll post about herbal tinctures next week.

So there you have it. My favorite herbal remedies. These work for me - they might for you too!
And, If you're still reading, you have a chance to win some of my EPY tea (Pre-mixed) and some home-made tea bags to go with it. Just leave a comment (and make sure your email address is in it). I haven't made the tea bags yet, so I can't post a picture, sorry! But I'll make them tonight, the draw a name on Saturday, November 1st. I'll contact the winner and mail out the tea and bags on November 6th (or before).

How to keep warm in cold houses (and a giveaway)

Colds seem to be going through the blogosphere this week -- Amy is freezing at 50 degrees ouside, and Stephanie is freezing at 50 degrees inside. (I would be too!)... And, my entire family is sick with colds, so they're definitely on my mind!

So, I thought I would share my tips for staying warm in a cold house.

I'm definitely no expert on this -- we keep our house around 65 degrees (18 C), because the little ones seem to get sick so frequently if we keep it colder. However, in the past, we've lived in several drafty houses, and here's my best survival tips.

1. Stop your drafts. This is almost an at-any-cost type recommendation. Roll up blankets (or sew some tubes and stuff them firmly) and stuff the edges of your windows and doors with them. Hang blankets over leaky spots. Two winters ago, before we replaced them, our kitchen doors had a constant covering of ice around them. Eating supper (or breakfast) was much more pleasant when we decided that we just wouldn't use that door and covered it with a giant wool army blanket. I've also had good (warmth-related) results with plastic over windows. But I don't like having my view obstructed. In one apartment, we bought caulk and caulked our windows shut. In the spring, we simply peeled off the caulk. If your paint is old, this probably isn't a great solution. But it really helped that winter. You can also buy styrofoam inserts for your outlets, to stop drafts coming in there. And don't forget about drafts from the basement - we hang a blanket over the stairs doorway too.



2. Dress for the weather. Think layers. The kids and I nearly always wear 3 layers. For the underclothing layer, wear insulated underwear - I love wool underclothing. I have this long-sleeved Woolrich brand shirt that I bought at a thrift store for 12.5 cents. Make sure you wear socks too (and shoes). I also like to wear a scarf around my neck. My youngest wears hats all the time. If your clothes aren't warm enough, cuddle together under blankets to read books on the couch.
   



3. Sleep warm. Pile on the blankets (you can always throw them off if you overheat during the night. Pre-heat your bed with a warm water-bottle or with a heated rice bag. Change to clean socks for sleeping (you'll be amazed at how much warmer your feet are in them). And keep your head warm. My husband always wraps a blanket around his head. I thought he was nuts until I tried wearing a hat. Wow, it really makes a huge difference! This is our first winter that we've had the kids sleep together. Four kids in one bedroom raises the temperature significantly (and not just because they're fighting). We also have a humidifier in their room that outputs a warm mist. It's toasty!
   



4. Eat and drink warm. Let the kids drink hot cocoa. Here's my favorite recipe (because it's cheap for us who get free milk).
   
   

   Hot CocoaFor each cup:
   Heat 1 cup of milk in a saucepan on the stove top over medium heat. Stir the cocoa sludge into milk. When it's as warm as you like, add 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional) and sip to your hearts content.

   
   Drink lots of hot herbal tea. Instead of drinking cold water, heat it up - it'll warm your hands too!
   
   
   And don't forget to eat warm (spicy) foods. Cayenne pepper warms you up by improving your circulation -- no more freezing fingers and toes! Consider taking it as a supplement (add some garlic too) if using in food isn't appealing to you.
   
   Use your oven to cook. When the food is done, turn it off, but leave the oven door open to heat the kitchen a bit longer.
   
   


5. And when it's just too cold to bear - get active! Run around inside, up and down the stairs, do jumping jacks or dance. Even better, bundle up and play outside. Come back in to a cup of hot cocoa and a new appreciation for the indoor "warmth".
   

And now, to help you all warm up. I've made you your very own hat. It's incredibly soft 100% wool, cut from a felted sweater. There's nothing warmer than a double-layered bomber hat, and this one is reversible too. I made it up last night in just a bit under an hour from the Betz White's pattern in Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects.

This hat is yours to win by either commenting, by subscribing to this blog, or by linking to this post (or my blog) from your blog. If you do all three, you get three entries. But in case I can't figure out how to chase you down, you should probably comment to let me know if you linked to me or subscribed. In your comment, please put your email or blog address. Blogger doesn't automatically show these to me, and if I can't contact you, you won't get your hat!



Comments will be closed on November 1st, and a name drawn then. You'll have until November 5th to get back to me with your mailing address, and I'll send it on out!

Keep warm! And visit here for other bloggy giveaways!

Free Homeschool Curriculum for Kindergarten

Wow! Just found out that it's bloggy giveaway week. I can't believe all the giveaways (and it's only Monday!)

So, what do I have to give away.... hmmmm.... LOTS!

I think I'll just do giveaway every day.... Things that are useful to Moms like me....

Today, it'll be a set of Homeschool Curriculum cards for Kindergarteners. These are basically nice flash cards, put out by Wonder of Words. There's several sets of flash cards, from simple syllables, sight-words, crazy animal-shaped letters (a "c" shaped cat, for example), Upper and lower case letters, and over 150 pictures that are organized into the letter of the alphabet they start with. (See the "pear"?)



To enter, leave a comment on this post. Tell me what you or your kid liked best about kindergarten. Make sure to leave your email address or link to your blog, since blogger doesn't automatically include them.

My kid, by the way, likes "making things" the best. We have him do lots of hands-on projects, and spend lots of time "working" outside.



So, the drawing will be on Saturday, November 1st. I'll email the recipient, or post a comment on your blog. You'll have until November 5th to get back to me with your mailing address, and I'll send it on out on November 6th. Okay?

A gift from God! (and a gift for you)

Look what God sent us this weekend!

A free keyboard!

Isn’t that cool?!  My brother-in-law found it in the trash last night on his way home.  They stopped and talked to the man at the house, who said he was throwing it out because there was a couple of dead keys that would cost $150 each to repair.  So we brought it home, took it all apart, and gave it a good cleaning.  Good as new! The kids totally love playing it, and as long as they leave the volume button down, I love them playing it too.
This actually makes two pianos for us.  The other one is in the basement apartment where the brothers-in-law live, and out of respect for them, I won’t publish the picture of the mess…
In reality, we probably won’t keep it, our church, it turns out, has been considering buying such a keyboard to use in worship. I think this would be a great addition to the worship team, so we’ll likely donate it.  The timing on this is just too good to think that it’s coincidence and actually meant for us, not church, don’t you think?
But, in gratefulness, I’m passing on the giving.  Here’s a monster hoodie for you.

Monster Hoodie

The monster

They normally look something like this

I’ve been making these for birthdays for a year or so, various kinds.  This is my first trial at a painted one, and they went over pretty well at last weeks birthday.  This one is purple with a green dragon wrapping around under the left arm.  I’m hoping someday to start selling these on etsy, but haven’t gotten there yet. Do you think they would sell?  (For, say $15-$20?) It’s a “youth XL” size, and would probably fit someone who wears an ladies small or is just a bit smaller.  (It’s definitely too small for me!)
We were exposed to the flu last weekend, so here’s the deal.  Leave a comment on this post telling me your best (preferably natural and/or cheap) tip for keeping kids (or yourself) healthy in the cold/flu season.  I’ll close comments Friday evening (2008-09-12), and randomly select a winner of the painted Monster Hoodie.